Tourists in Barcelona found themselves caught in the crossfire during a protest on Saturday, when demonstrators armed with water guns attacked restaurants in the working-class district of Las Ramblas.
The rainy and wild scenes were part of a broader demonstration against mass tourism, in which around 2,800 people took to the streets under the slogan “Enough!” Let’s put limits on tourism.
The protesters do not see an easy relief in the number of foreigners who visit the Catalan town according to a sustainable model.
Water guns were pointed at and fired at foreigners dining outdoors at tourist restaurants in the Las Ramblas area, MailOnline reported.
Several Catalans were shown shooting; the cannons did not seem capable of firing a powerful stream.
The protests are limited to scenes experienced in the Canary Islands at the beginning of this year.
Many Spaniards are protesting against the growing burden of housing: rents in Barcelona have risen to 68 over the past decade and to 18 last year.
Prices of food and essential items have also increased.
For years, the city has seen graffiti with messages such as “tourists coming home” written on the walls, with some adding that expats will also be expelled.
Isa Miralles, a resident of Barcelona, says: “Local commerce is the last to make way for commerce that does not respond to the wishes of the neighborhoods. People can’t pay rent.
Jordi Guiu, a 70-year-old sociologist, adds: “I have nothing against tourism, but here in Barcelona we suffer from an excess of tourism that has made our city uninhabitable. “
The mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, has already announced his goal of selling out all short-term rentals by 2028.
Spain’s Socialist Minister of Housing, Isabel Rodríguez, supported Barcelona’s decision.
“This is about making every effort to ensure access to affordable housing,” he tweeted.
Create a FREE account to read
Subscribing is a free and easy way to do our journalism.
Join our network where you can: comment on stories; sign up for newsletters; participate in contests and the content of our application.
Your address
It must contain at least 6 characters, one uppercase character, one lowercase character, and one number.
You will have to be at least 18 years old to create an account.
* Required fields
Do you already have an account? LOG IN
By clicking Create Account, you verify that your knowledge has been entered and that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use, Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
This site is powered by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Thanks for registering
Refresh the page or move to another page on the site to log in.
MORE ABOUT